


we don't need incheon

by mikararinna



Series: oh we just play it cool [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe, Chance Meetings, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 17:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18265652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikararinna/pseuds/mikararinna
Summary: Between bustling airports and delayed flights, Minhyuk found someone he thought he had lost. And something with the other that made him smile.





	we don't need incheon

**Author's Note:**

> if you're reading this then you're obligated to stream Play It Cool eng version

Minhyuk stared at the digital board displaying the huge numbers of flights heading off to different places. His eyes read through every flight details; which airline company was it, where it was heading to, when will it depart, if it will start boarding soon. He watched as some of the flights flickered with green words at the end and some switching to red. Silently, he prayed that he had misheard, that maybe the announcement was just a call for passengers to board.

His eyes fell upon a plane registration number, KR514, the same number written on his ticket. Flight to New York.

_Delayed._

Minhyuk sighed. Great. He glanced at his watch. He wasn't sure how long would he be here and he sure hoped he wouldn't be here for long. Minhyuk didn't like crowds and Incheon International Airport had one of the biggest crowds ever. Sure, he liked boarding planes, flying to another country and enduring the jetlag but he absolutely hated it whenever his flight got delayed.

Deciding it was no use dwelling about, he walked away from the announcement board. His eyes roamed around the waiting area that stretched on. He wondered if he should head over to one of the restaurants or maybe find a place to rest. He didn't get to choose when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

Minhyuk turned around and he was met with another male. The other was wearing a plain white t-shirt, tucked into his skinny black jeans, showing off his long legs perfectly. Minhyuk quirked a brow, head tilting to the side as he wondered what this man wanted from him.

"Can I help you?" Minhyuk asked, looking at the other.

The male had a small hesitant smile on his lips. He looked almost unsure of himself, his confidence lacking. "You're Minhyuk, right? Lee Minhyuk?"

Minhyuk frowned at this, wondering how this handsome male knew his name. "Yes. Do I know you?"

"We used to go to the same high school." The male said, smiling wider as if relieve that he got the right person. "Chae Hyungwon, do you remember?"

Minhyuk stared at the other male. His brown hair was unstyled, messy and soft on top of his head. His eyes was big and doe-like with a cute button nose and plump lips. Minhyuk racked his brain for a Chae Hyungwon from high school and it was then that he recalled a tall male, thin and quiet but with the most obnoxious laugh Minhyuk had ever heard. Someone that he liked to fool around with and tease. A classmate of his that he was very close with before they graduated and lost contact. The classmate with a cute button nose and plump lips like the male before him.

"Chae Hyungwon," Minhyuk breathed out. "The one who laughed so hard he snorted out milk from his nose?"

Hyungwon laughed shyly behind his hand. The tip of his ears was red and Minhyuk felt slightly apologetic that he had caused embarassment for the other. "Yeah, I take it you remember?"

"Of course!" Minhyuk exclaimed and wasted no time in pulling Hyungwon into a hug. The male was startled at first before returning it. "It's been awhile, Hyungwon. I was really sad when we lost contact you know?"

Hyungwon smiled sheepishly when they pulled away. "Should we sit down somewhere to catch up?" He asked and Minhyuk nodded his head.

They went to a coffee shop not far from where they stood just now. Minhyuk ordered a cup of latte while Hyungwon ordered a long black for himself. They sat at a booth in the corner, away from all the bustling people in the airport to have a quiet conversation.

"So, where are you heading to?" Minhyuk asked. Because they were in the airport and it was only logical enough to ask about the other's flight plans before looking for the finer details.

"Melbourne," Hyungwon replied. "I was supposed to depart two hours ago but my flight got delayed."

Minhyuk groaned. "Same here." He replied. "I'm heading for New York but my flight just got delayed."

Hyungwon nodded his head, sipping on his drink. "For work?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Nah, not work."

"Vacation then?"

Hyungwon hummed, bobbing his head from side to side. "I guess you can call it that,"

Minhyuk quirked a brow at this but questioned it no further. He stirred around his drink with a spoon, ruining the foam on the top. "Where have you been though? You just, disappeared after graduation and everyone lost contact with you."

"Sorry about that," Hyungwon smiled apologetic. "I got a scholarship and went to Singapore. After that I've just been too busy to catch up with old friends. I'm glad I saw you here though."

Minhyuk beamed. "That's cool. You've always been the smart kid since high school. It would have been expected of you to get a scholarship. What are you doing now?"

"I'm freelancing. I don't like being tied down by a company or anything, I prefer going on with my own pace." Hyungwon said and Minhyuk nodded his head like he understood. "What about you? What are you doing now?"

"Not much," Minhyuk chuckled. "Just working with this company."

"Well, any job is still a job as long as you receive your paycheck." Hyungwon replied.

"True, but you're right with the not liking to be tied down by a company thing. I'm probably going to quit soon." Minhyuk rolled his eyes. "It pays well but ugh, I hate my job."

"It pays well and you get to travel the world by working. Isn't that cool?" Hyungwon asked.

"Yeah it's cool. But not cool when they book me a last minute flight only for it to get delayed and I will need to rush to my meeting as soon as my plane lands." Minhyuk complained, jutting out his lips in annoyance.

Hyungwon laughed before raising his cup of long black and sipping the warm drink carefully. On his wrist was a silver Rolex watch, catching light from the coffee shop every time his hand move slightly. Hyungwon must be earning a lot while freelancing if he dressed like some expensive model walking the NY Fashion Week. He looked handsome, Minhyuk noted and not much had change of it from the last time Minhyuk saw him at graduation.

The announcement speaker let out a short music, catching their attention as well as everyone else around them.

_"Attention to all passengers of Korean Air, Flight KR926 to Melbourne are now in boarding, please head to Gate 11. Attention to all-"_

Minhyuk eyes turned to took at Hyungwon, shutting out the announcer's voice repeating the announcement. "I take it that's your flight?" He asked Hyungwon.

Hyungwon nodded, taking a last sip of his long black. He placed his cup down, smiling at the other as he stood up. "I'll go now. See you soon, Minhyuk."

Minhyuk smiled back, waving as Hyungwon head over to his gate, his figure soon disappearing among the sea of people. It wasn't until later, when Minhyuk was already on his flight to New York, watching a movie on board, few more hours till he land on new grounds that he realized, he never took Hyungwon's number.

 

 

Minhyuk sighed out in relief as he entered Kuala Lumpur International Airport, now free from Malaysia's humid air. The cool air of the air-conditioning hit him right in the face, cooling down the sweat trickling down his back. Minhyuk took a deep breath before walking around the crowd. He checked-in his luggage at the counter, smiling at the worker as he left before standing in the middle of the airport, unsure of what to do next.

He sighed. This wasn't the first time Minhyuk had been in an airport, heck this wasn't even the first time for him to board a plane. But everytime he was left clueless and unsure what to do next up to the point where he check-in his luggage and wait for boarding.

He roamed around the place, walking past souvenir shops and restaurants. The airport was crowded, a herd of people walking to and fro. It left Minhyuk dizzy, walking past bustling people, careful not to bump into others. He ended up toss to the side, away from the human traffic.

Minhyuk pouted. He still had to do something to kill time. Waiting idly in the airport until he was called for boarding was a boring activity. He wasn't going to stand here doing nothing for another - he glanced at his watch - half an hour! He groaned. Minhyuk spun around, ready for another quest to find something that will cure his boredom.

Instead of finding something interesting to do, Minhyuk's eyes caught sight of someone standing in front of the digital board. He frowned, walking closer to the other. A part of him was uncertain that the person he was approaching was the same person he thought it was. But a part of him was sure of it.

Afterall, in this vast earth it was almost possible to see the same face twice and bump into people you knew at a completely different land.

He walked forward, and just because he didn't want to look like some dumb fool in case he got the person wrong, he leaned his body forward, to catch a glimpse of the other's face. The male seemed to notice this action as he turned to look away from the board, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Minhyuk?"

"Hyungwon!" Minhyuk cheered, his grin was so wide and he couldn't stop the bubbling laughter that spill from his lips.

"I can't believe I would bump into you here," Hyungwon said, sounding surprised but amused at the same time.

Minhyuk was amused too. "Here for a vacation?"

Hyungwon hummed, not agreeing or denying anything, just letting the question hanging above them. "You? Here for work?"

"Nah," Minhyuk replied. "I'm here for a vacation."

A look of recognition passed by Hyungwon's face. "Oh, you quit your job?"

"You remembered?" Minhyuk asked, surprised.

"I have a strong memory."

"Of course, you _are_ Chae Hyungwon." Minhyuk replied and Hyungwon laughed softly like he just told some inside joke.

Something smelt like peppermint and vanilla and Minhyuk guessed it was Hyungwon because of how strong the scent was. It was then that he took in the other's attire - a pair of khaki shorts and a simple tee - something similar to what he wore at Incheon Airport but looking more relaxed and casual. Minhyuk's eyes widen in realization when he finally remembered the thing he had forgotten.

"Hyungwon, right, the other day we saw each other at Incheon but we forgot to exchange contacts." Minhyuk said, feeling slightly embarassed at himself.

Hyungwon gasped in realization. "Right! I had forgotten as well."

Minhyuk rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "Don't laugh but I didn't remember until I was on the plane."

"Please, at least you're better than me." Hyungwon said and Minhyuk tipped his head in a silent question. Hyungwon chuckled nervously, fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. "I realized we didn't exchange contacts after I had arrive at my hotel in Melbourne."

Minhyuk snorted. "We're a mess."

"I thought we've already established this since high school?"

They both laughed. "Honestly, how did we survived?"

Minhyuk took out his phone, handing it over to Hyungwon after he had unlock it. Hyungwon took it, already typing in his details. "Anyways, where are you heading to?"

"Philippines, but," Hyungwon sighed.

"Let me guess, delayed flight?"

"As usual."

"You really have the worst luck with your flights." Minhyuk said, frowning.

"I have worse days." Hyungwon replied. He called his number from Minhyuk's phone, letting it ring once so he could save it later before handing Minhyuk's phone back to him. "I can't say it's entirely bad though, I get to see you again. How about you?"

"Seoul. Going back to my home sweet home." Minhyuk replied, grinning.

"Home, huh?" Hyungwon muttered under his breath. Minhyuk quirked his brow at this but the other only shook his head at Minhyuk, smiling softly. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me, your flight got delayed too?"

"No!" Minhyuk whined. "Hyungwon don't jinx it! I just checked-in my luggage so I'm just waiting for boarding."

Hyungwon sighed. "Sounds nice. I wonder why does my flight always get delayed?"

"Bad luck, I guess? Or karma for whatever you did in the past." Minhyuk teased.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes. "What bad things have I done in the past?"

"A lot of things like-"

Minhyuk was cut off by the short music coming from the announcement speakers, calling for everyone's attention. He paused, waiting for the announcement to be done.

_"Attention to all passengers of Malaysian Airlines, Flight MH310 to Incheon is now boarding."_

Minhyuk looked at Hyungwon but the other was already staring at him, a gentle smile on his face. "Your call?"

"Unfortunately." Minhyuk replied. "Sorry we couldn't talk for long and I wouldn't be here to entertain you."

Hyungwon giggled. "It's okay. Go back to your home sweet home, vacations can be tiring."

Minhyuk sighed. "Sure is," He replied, pulling the other for a goodbye hug. "See you around, I guess. I'll text you!"

"Or I'll text you," Hyungwon said, as Minhyuk spun around to catch his flight, a breathy laugh leaving his lips.

He was about to set his phone to airplane mode, already seated on his plane when his phone ring with a notification. Minhyuk opened it up, reading the short and simple _'have a safe flight! :)'_ message from Hyungwon. He smiled to himself, the stewardess briefing about safety guidelines drowning in the background. He typed out a quick reply before shoving the phone into his pocket. There was a smile on his face the entire flight back to Seoul and he couldn't care less if people looked at him weirdly.

He could smell the early brewing of new beginnings. It smelt like peppermint and vanilla.

 

 

  
Delayed. _Again._ Minhyuk groaned softly as to not create attention. God, why did he have the worst luck with his flights? He just wanted to get back to Seoul, head back to his home and sleep the rest of the month away.

Travelling was fun. Impulse vacations was exciting. There was always the adrenaline pumping inside of him when he board a plane and landed on new grounds. There was the rush of excitement when he discovered new places, new foods and new cultures. But there was always the tiredness after. The dimmed feeling after travelling for so long and just wanting to go home, snuggling into his bed.

Minhyuk sighed. Because there was always problems arising in every situation of life. His flight was delayed and if it wasn't for the unknown fact on when he would board again, he would have made the most of it. But he wanted to go home, he missed home.

There was not much he could do - in fact nothing at all. Instead, Minhyuk sat down on an empty seat in the waiting area. He took out his phone, opening up his Instagram app. Immediately, he was greeted with pictures of his friends flooding his timeline. He scrolled through them all, double tapping on every post he laid his eyes upon.

He stopped scrolling aimlessly at a picture of a male, pouting at him from the screen. Minhyuk blushed despite knowing that the pout wasn't directed to him, just another pose for the gram. But looking at the male's face, Minhyuk really couldn't help the fluttering of his heart. His thumb hovered over the post for a while longer before double tapping on it like he did for the rest and clicking on the profile.

After exchanging contacts and texting each other frequently, Minhyuk had create a new friendship with Hyungwon. He had even stumble upon Hyungwon's Instagram account while scrolling through the app. Hyungwon had a steady following of his own, always increasing each time Minhyuk went over to his profile. He posted frequently, random pictures of his adventures and self portrait he took. Minhyuk felt out of league with his less than 200 followers.

He clicked on one of Hyungwon's post, looking through the 10 new pictures he posted that Minhyuk never seen before. There was a picture of his selfie that Minhyuk saw earlier; a picture of skyscrapers in Singapore; a picture of a full course meal, Hyungwon holding a big lobster in his hand, smiling so wide; and then a picture of Hyungwon's full outfit of the day. The latest picture he uploaded was of an airplane runway, the caption written _'delayed again'_. Ignoring the caption and the picture, Minhyuk's eyes fell upon the location Hyungwon had put there instead.

_Dubai International Airport._

His eyes widen. He raised his head and just like in the picture, he saw the airport runway splayed before him, a few airplanes heading here and there. Minhyuk immediately stood up, surprising the person sitting beside him. He didn't bother apologizing as his eyes roamed around the waiting area. He picked up the small bag he carried with him, quickening his steps as he walked around the waiting area.

Minhyuk didn't know why he was in such a rush. It didn't make sense how he was in such a rush and how he was excited for the possibility to see Hyungwon. It was just Hyungwon.

But something in him told him that it wasn't _just Hyungwon._ It was his old classmate from high school who he had lost contact with until the day they met at Incheon Airport. The same person he had bump into a lot of times at different airports that it was hard to think it was just pure coincidence. It must be a work of fate to meet each other in these circumstances.

He walked past rows and rows of seats in the waiting area, none of the ones sitting there coming close to Hyungwon. Minhyuk's steps didn't falter as he head on to the other side of the airport. His intuition was strong on this one. The other side of the airport was more secluded, only a few people occupying the seats. His eyes roamed around the area until he saw someone at the front seats, scrolling through his phone. Minhyuk smiled, walking over to the other until they were close enough.

"Another delayed flight?" Minhyuk asked and Hyungwon raised his head to look.

There was a look of surprise painting Hyungwon's face before he broke into a full grin. "Minhyuk!" He exclaimed, sounding a little too happy for his taste. "What are you doing here?"

"Same reason as you, delayed flight." Minhyuk said, sitting down on the seat opposite of Hyungwon.

"Where you off to?"

"Incheon, I should be getting back home." Minhyuk told him. "And you?"

"Exchange flight to Spain." Hyungwon said.

"Whenever I see you, you're always flying somewhere."

"Because I am always flying somewhere."

"Maybe you should stop flying off." Minhyuk said, looking at him.

Hyungwon shook his head. "How do you know I was here?"

"I saw your Instagram post. Quite a following you have there, huh?"

"It's not like I know any of them." Hyungwon replied.

"You know me," Minhyuk said. "But I doubt you would notice me among your millions of followers."

Hyungwon looked at him, tilting his head slightly and there was a small smile playing on his lips. "No," He told Minhyuk. "You are different."

Minhyuk's cheeks flared red, averting his eyes elsewhere. "Sweet talker," He mumbled and Hyungwon laughed.

His eyes caught sight of the window overlooking the runway. Minhyuk saw airplanes taking off, flying through the clouds and he gaped in awe. "Why do you like travelling so much, Hyungwon?"

Hyungwon hummed. "The excitement, you know?" He said and Minhyuk wished he knew because he was excited to travel but the moment he stepped into new territory, he got overwhelmingly homesick and the excitement died down. "I love being in new places, places I've never been to before."

"How do you manage to travel so much?" Minhyuk asked, meeting gaze with Hyungwon. "What is your work?"

"I told you, I'm freelancing."

"And you're making so much that you go on casual trips to Europe?"

Hyungwon shrugged his shoulders. "My work gave me more than enough. It's not like I have much to use it for anyway, only food and some necessities. The rest I use it for my travels. And my work sometimes requires me to travel a lot."

"Don't you have bills to pay? Do you leave your rent unpaid?"

Hyungwon rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you shouldn't be so hung up on the little details."

Minhyuk huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you have to pay for something else too, don't you? Don't you have like a house to go back to whenever you're done with travelling?"

"Minhyuk, I don't have a house."

"What do you mean you don't have a house?"

"It means I don't have a house,"

"So you stay with your parents?"

"No. My parents died a few years ago."

"Oh," Minhyuk mumbled. "Oh, Hyungwon, I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine." Hyungwon cut him off. "You didn't know. But yeah. I think it's partially the reason why I started travelling so much. At first it was just to get my mind off some things, but after a while,"

"After a while?" Minhyuk asked, looking at him curiously.

"After a while, I thought it was fun. Travelling was fun and every time I flew off somewhere it makes me want to see more. That's why I've kept going to all these new places. It's exciting." Hyungwon said, as he stared out the window. "And it's convenient. It's not like I have somewhere I need to be, there's no home for me any longer. Everyday I wake up staring at the ceiling of a different hotel room but even that sounds better than going home to an empty house."

"But doesn't it get lonely?"

Hyungwon looked at him, smiling. "It does sometimes. But then I get to meet new people as I travel, people that share the same interest like me, you."

"Me?" Minhyuk stared at him, surprised.

"Yeah, you. My travels brought me to you."

Minhyuk chuckled. "How am I significant to your travels?"

"You just are,"

Minhyuk shook his head. He leaned his body back. People had gradually left from the waiting area and everything around them felt so detached. Minhyuk stared at Hyungwon and the other held his gaze. "If there is a reason to go back, will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Will you stop your travellings and stay?"

Hyungwon hummed. He leaned forward, his elbows propped on his knees and he rested his head on the palm of his hands. His eyes twinkled like it was thinking hard about something. He was still holding his gaze with Minhyuk and out of self conscious Minhyuk straightened up in his seat. Hyungwon grinned, warm and happy.

"Maybe I will," He said.

**Author's Note:**

> there is three part to this story so look forward to it uwu!


End file.
